Greater Valley Area charities receive canned goods boxes to kick off new year

Published 5:01 pm Thursday, January 10, 2019

VALLEY — Three local charities are off to a good start in the new year thanks to those who participated in the 2018 Valleywide Christmas Parade.

The Christian Service Center, Interfaith Food Closet and the West Point Area Food Closet have each received $1,000 and large boxes of canned goods.

To have a float, vehicle or walking group in the parade, each entrant had to pay a $35 fee to the Valleywide Christmas Parade Committee. The fee dropped to $30 if five canned goods were donated. The amount of money and canned goods that were raised was divided equally between the three food banks.

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“We were able to donate $1,000 to each of them plus a box of canned goods,” Parade Committee member Laurie Blount said.

Located on Cusseta Road in the Huguley community, the Christian Service Center distributes food for eligible persons on Mondays and Thursdays. Emergency food boxes can be provided during other office hours. Those seeking food must have a current electric bill showing name and address plus a photo ID.

This past Christmas season, more than 200 local families received food through the Christian Service Center, and about 600 children received gifts.

Located behind the Langdale Methodist Church in Valley, the Interfaith Food Closet helps local families who need food in emergency situations. It’s open each weekday. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, it’s open from 9 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, it’s open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The West Point Area Food Closet serves those in need who live in West Point. These tend to be at-risk families and TANF clients. According to Ann Adams, the director, the food closet served a total of 611 families and 1,447 people in 2018. Two churches — West Point Baptist and West Point Methodist — provide support along with area businesses.